Nokia’s Windows Tablet Could Sport a Battery-Boosting Keyboard Cover

By Brad Chacos, LAPTOP Contributor | Dec 26, 2012 10:52 AM EST

More details about the alleged Nokia Windows RT tablet continue to surface. In fact, the latest report claims that the reported Nokia slate will take the Surface head-on with book-like case cover that brings kickstand and keyboard capabilities to the tablet. That’s cool in and of itself, but the cover also sports a battery that can be used as an emergency power supply for the tablet if the tablet’s charge runs dry.

The actual Nokia tablet will pack a 10 hour battery life, sources tell The Verge. (The Surface RT tablet lasted 7 hours 43 minutes in the LAPTOP Battery Test.) Even better, the slate will reportedly include a fast charge feature similar to the one found in select ThinkPad products, rapidly restoring the tablet’s charge to 50 percent in a brief period of time.

The same sources claim the Nokia slate will pack cellular connectivity—a feature missing from the Surface—and as such, will appear on AT&T shelves when it launches. That’s hardly a surprise, as AT&T and Nokia are close partners, with Ma Bell being the exclusive retailer of Nokia’s Lumia 920, the premier Windows Phone 8 handset.

Nokia’s tablet will have both a USB and an HDMI port, the site reports, with the cover packing another pair of USB connections. The 10.1-inch tablet could make its debut at Mobile World Conference in February.

HTC is also rumored to be working on a pair of Windows RT tablets for release in 2013, including a 12-inch model and a 7-inch version that can allegedly make phone calls.